Releasing a pet into the wild is a lose : lose for both the pet and the environment. Footage was recently received of an Eastern Water Dragon swimming in waters above Lake McLaren and is a stark reminder that pets released to the wild can become a pest. Most pets (of any species) released to the wild do not survive but those that do will hunt native wildlife that don’t have the natural defences to protect themselves against a new predator in their environment. | Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional